About CIRCLE

CIRCLE Annual Report 2022

The Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education (CIRCLE) at Texas Tech University was founded in 2015 by Dr. Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz and Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz. Originally named, the Center for Research in Leadership and Education (CRLE), the Center's founding mission was to engage in research regarding the role leadership plays in the elimination of public education inequalities & the development of a just global society. These fundamental objectives of engaging in empirical research to address and eliminate inequities in education and promote social justice values and practices remain central to CIRCLE's vision. 

From 2017-2021, Dr. Hugo Garcia served as director of the Center. Under Dr. Garcia's leadership, the Center engaged in several projects including a focus on Latino leadership in education and a multi-institutional collaborative effort to increase representation of and participation by underrepresented groups in STEM education. 

The founding focus of the Center and its work over the years continue to emphasize the important role of social justice in education. Although the Center's name was updated in 2022 to the Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education (CIRCLE), the Center's team remain committed to improving both the educational outcomes and equity of education through close collaborations with community partners as well as the rigorous and timely analysis of relevant data. The ultimate goal is to contribute to a more just and a better educated community and the effective decision-making of educational leaders. 

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